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Tulowitzki, Gorzelanny share NL honor

Tulowitzki, Gorzelanny share NL honor

But both were brilliant last week, and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tom Gorzelanny earned National League co-Player of the Week honors.

Tulowitzki's award came one day after he hit a game-tying home run and then a game-winning double in the Rockies' victory Sunday afternoon. The rookie led the National League in hitting last week with a .483 (14-for-29) batting average and 12 RBIs.

"I've played in a lot of big games -- not at the professional level or the big league level -- but growing up, I was always in championship games and stuff like that," Tulowitski said. "I think that process has definitely helped me deal with these situations."

Tulowitzki, Colorado's first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State, has matured greatly this year and can, indeed, deal with pressure at-bats. He led the NL with 14 hits and 27 total bases and his four doubles tied for the NL lead.

He moved up to the second spot in the lineup last week, and he found comfort high in the order. He also said he's settled into Colorado's hitter-friendly Coors Field.

"There is a comfort level here," he said. "In a lot of parks, it's my first time being there. But I've been in this batter's box plenty of times. It's definitely a good place to hit."

The 22-year-old shortstop recorded a .931 slugging percentage and a .531 on-base percentage, hit three home runs and scored seven runs. He recorded a pair of four-hit games and had three different three-RBI games.

Tulowitzki's numbers may have been different, however, if he had faced Gorzelanny.

Last week, Gorzelanny, one of the NL nominees in the Monster 2007 All-Star Final Vote, went 2-0 and threw a complete-game shutout, his first blank slate. He also led the league with 16 innings pitched, tied the NL lead with two wins and ranked second in strikeouts with 13.

"It feels good," the southpaw said after his brilliant five-hit shutout against San Francisco on Sunday. "It's a long time coming. I just knew I had to go out there and make pitches."

Gorzelanny began his stellar week Aug. 7 in Arizona, when the 25-year-old recorded a career-high nine strikeouts and allowed two runs in Pittsburgh's 8-3 win.

"Sometimes, things just work out the way they do," Gorzelanny said after his Aug. 7 win. "I felt sharp and was able to go out there and compete."